26 police officers injured and 25 arrests occurred at the Tommy Robinson rally in London.

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The “Unite the Kingdom” rally organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson on Saturday in central London was marred by violence, with 26 police officers injured and 25 arrests. Many Tommy Robinson supporters attended the event with the intention of causing trouble, said Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist. 1,600 police officers were deployed across the city to prevent clashes.

Billionaire Elon Musk, owner of X, spoke with Tommy Robinson on stage via video link and accused the government of failing to protect children from grooming and rape: “There is a real risk of rape and murder, of the destruction of the country and the dissolution of the entire way of life. If you weren’t under massive attack, people would get on with their lives, but unfortunately, if the fight comes to you, you have no choice. I really think there needs to be a change of government in Britain. It’s not possible—we don’t have four more years, or whenever the next election is, that’s too long. Something has to be done. There has to be a dissolution of Parliament and a new vote.”

The crowd responded to his appearance with applause and chants of “Elon Musk” and “Elon.” Elon Musk‘s comments were met with condemnation across the political divide. There was a counter-protest, called “March Against Fascism”, with 5,000 anti-racist activists chanting “stand up, fight back” and “we are the women, we will not be silenced, stop the fascists now, now, now, now” as they marched from Russell Square towards Parliament.